Colossians 3

The Life of the New Man

¹So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ^{a 2}Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. ^{b 3}For you died, ^c and your life is hidden with Christ in God. ⁴When Christ, who is your ^d life, appears, ^e then you also will appear with him in glory. ^f

⁵Therefore, put to death what belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, ^g lust, ^h evil desire, and greed, ⁱ which is idolatry. ^{j 6}Because of these, God’s wrath ^k is coming upon the disobedient, ^{l 7}and you once walked in these things when you were living ^m in them. ⁸But now, put away ⁿ all the following: anger, ^o wrath, ^p malice, ^q slander, ^r and filthy language from your mouth. ^{s 9}Do not lie ^t to one another, since you have put off ^u the old self ^v with its practices ¹⁰and have put on ^w the new self. You are being renewed in knowledge according to the image of your ^x Creator. ^{y 11}In Christ there is not Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all. ^z

The Christian Life

¹²Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and dearly loved, ^aa put on compassion, kindness, ^ab humility, ^ac gentleness, ^ad and patience, ^{ae 13}bearing with one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a grievance against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you are also to forgive. ^{af 14}Above all, put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. ¹⁵And let the peace of Christ, to which you were also called ^ag in one body, rule your hearts. And be thankful. ¹⁶Let the word of Christ dwell richly among you, in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another through psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, ^ah singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. ¹⁷And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name ^ai of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Christ in Your Home

¹⁸Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. ^{aj 19}Husbands, ^ak love your wives ^al and don’t be bitter ^am toward them. ²⁰Children, ^an obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. ²¹Fathers, ^ao do not exasperate ^ap your children, so that they won’t become discouraged. ²²Slaves, obey your human ^aq masters in everything. Don’t work only while being watched, as people-pleasers, but work wholeheartedly, fearing the Lord. ^{ar 23}Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for people, ^{as 24}knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord. You serve the Lord Christ. ²⁵For the wrongdoer ^at will be paid back for whatever wrong he has done, and there is no favoritism.